An Israeli settler pelted two young Palestinian children with rocks on Monday after spotting them on the roof of their home in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, seriously wounding one of them. One of the stones thrown by the settler struck Yassin K, 9, in the eyebrow, causing him to fall down on concrete and fracture his left arm, DCI-Palestine sources said.

He was admitted that afternoon to Alia Hospital with a severely swollen face. Yassin’s younger brother escaped unharmed. Eyewitnesses saw the settler, who they described as a tall, bearded man in his 30s, crouching behind a plastic bin filled with stones on a nearby rooftop in the al-Qazazin neighborhood of Hebron’s Old City. “A small, but extremely violent, Israeli settler presence in Hebron torments the city’s Palestinian residents, including children, with all forms of abuse and harassment,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at DCI-Palestine. “This highly abnormal situation instills a deep-grounded fear in children who grow up witnessing settler attacks carried out with complete impunity.” Settlers in the area store rocks in plastic bins on their rooftops to throw at Palestinian residents, according to DCI-Palestine sources. In Hebron, the close proximity of settlements to the Palestinian population lends itself to particularly frequent attacks. Yassin’s family home borders housing in the Avraham Avinu settlement, located near the Old City’s Jewish quarter. During the 1990s, control over the city was divided between the Palestinian Authority and Israeli forces, with the Old City and the Israeli settlements of Avraham Avinu, Beit Romano, Beit Hadassah and Tel Rumeida falling under the latter’s jurisdiction. Israel deploys around 2,000 soldiers in and around Hebron city center to protect approximately 550 Israeli settlers living among 170,000 Palestinians. All Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are considered illegal under international law. A recent UN report calls on Israel to “cease all settlement activities without preconditions” and to “immediately initiate a process of withdrawal of all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Settlements have a profound impact on the lives of Palestinians throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Since 2008, DCI-Palestine has documented over 100 cases of settler violence such as stone throwing, beatings, shootings and destruction of property.

Huda and Khaled Tafesh (21 and 25) got married in 2010. One year later their daughter, Haneen, was born. The young family, which lives in a modest tin-roofed dwelling in the Zeitoun district of Gaza, came under attack in the 8-day Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip last November.

As International Women’s Rights Day and Mother’s Day approach, Huda speaks of what happened to her as a young mother during those days of fear and bombardments.

“We were all at home that day. It was one day after the Israeli attacks had started and there were many drones in the sky above us. Our neighbourhood was calm though, and there was no sign of military activity. We started our day as usual. Haneen had woken up early in the morning, eaten some food, and gone back to sleep. Khaled had gone out earlier to buy eggs for her. She always asked her father to take her with him, whenever he went out of the house. She always wanted to join him.”

That morning Khaled told Haneen she couldn’t join him. He thought she would be safer in the house than outside.

Huda continues: “Shortly after Khaled returned from the shop, there was a sudden big explosion. An F16 had fired a missile at an empty plot of land next to our house. The explosion was huge.”

Hardly noticing her own injury, Huda only thought of one thing: “I quickly ran into the house to see whether Haneen was okay. But when I got to the bedroom, the door had been jammed shut by the force of the explosion. I wasn’t able to open the door. Then my husband came and he finally got the door to open. Haneen was under the rubble. Only her feet were showing. A lot of the rubble had landed on her head and caused her many head injuries.”

Both Khaled and Huda realized that Haneen’s injuries were serious. “Because ambulances weren’t arriving immediately, Khaled took Haneen to the hospital”, explains Huda. “Once an ambulance came to take me to hospital, a drone dropped a second missile. This one landed directly opposite our front door. It didn’t explode. When the police came to remove the missile, they said it was defective. It might have been dropped just to terrify us.”

Huda recalls the hectic moments in the hospital: “They discovered a fracture in my right shoulder blade. The doctor gave me a sling and some anaesthetic spray and, in the afternoon, he told me I could go home. I think both the doctor and my husband wanted to protect me from the shock of finding out how Haneen was doing, but in my heart I already knew that she had passed away. I could feel it.”

After receiving a phone call from the doctor that evening, Khaled told Huda he was going to the hospital to donate blood for Haneen. “I told him not to go,” says Huda. “I told him I didn’t think she needed blood anymore. Then he admitted that Haneen had passed away.”

Huda was admitted to hospital again that same evening, after the pain in her back and shoulder became unbearable. She stayed there for a week. “On the second day, I went home briefly to say my goodbyes to Haneen before her funeral.”

While her physical injuries are slowly healing, memories of that day and the loss of her daughter are with her constantly. Huda cherishes vivid memories of her daughter: “She was a very clever girl. A child who was very close to everyone’s heart. What I remember most of her is the sound of her laughter. She would even start smiling and laughing as soon as she woke up. Haneen was a calm girl who never cried.” Thinking of upcoming Mother’s Day, Huda sighs: “I had only just become a mother when I lost my child.”

When talking about her outlook on the future, Huda smiles: “I have been pregnant for 2.5 months now. I hope that the pregnancy will pass quickly, and that I will have a child again soon.”

In addition to the loss of their child, the Tafesh family has been forced to deal with damage done to their home as a result of the attack. The walls and floor of the house have holes in them. According to Khaled’s mother, they are so big that mice are entering through them. The tin roof was severely damaged and leaks whenever it rains. “We received this home as a shelter from a charity initiative less than one month before the attack. Before that it was just a single room shack. Now we have multiple rooms with brick walls,” says Khaled’s mother.

The family faces poverty as it is without any form of permanent income. Haneen’s father, Khaled, received a pushcart form the government. “I gave the cart the name ‘Haneen’, and I put my daughter’s picture all over the side of it. I am trying to sell pastries from the cart in order to have some income.”

The targeting and severely injuring or killing of a civilian, a protected person, is a war crime, as codified in Article 147 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention and Articles 8(2)(a)(i) and (iii), and Article 8 (2)(b)(i) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Israeli soldiers shot and seriously injured two Palestinian teenagers at the entrance to Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem late February during separate clashes with demonstrators over the death of a Palestinian in Israeli custody.

The first victim, identified as Odai Nael Fathi Saleh, 15, sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was reported to be in critical condition at Hadassah hospital, DCI-Palestine sources said. Mohammad Khalid al-Kurdi, 14, the second victim, suffered injuries to his liver, right lung and right leg, according to a medical report obtained by DCI-Palestine. Mahmoud Ibrahim Khalil, head of surgery at Beit Jala Hospital, said he will operate on Mohammad in the coming days to remove a bullet lodged near his mid-back.

“It is extremely troubling that Palestinian children continue to be injured and killed from Israel’s use of violent crowd control methods,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at DCI-Palestine. “The recent demonstrations have resulted in an increase in injuries to children, as well as arrests. Israeli authorities must take all necessary precautions to avoid injuring children.”

On the evening of February 24, Odai and his younger brother, Amir, 14, wound up in the middle of a confrontation between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers while leaving the refugee camp on their way home to Bethlehem. As the soldiers drew closer to the crowd, Amir told DCI-Palestine he started running for safety before looking back to see his brother lying motionless on the ground. Two soldiers dragged Odai to a military guard tower near Rachel’s Tomb that overlooks the camp from where an ambulance transferred him to hospital.

Around 2 pm the following day, Mohammad, found himself in the cross hairs of Israeli soldiers dispersing dozens of stone-throwing Palestinians near the camp entrance when he was shot, DCI-Palestine sources said. Nearby youth carried him to a private car that took him to the local hospital, according to an eyewitness.

Palestinians have held several demonstrations over the past few weeks across the Occupied Palestinian Territory in support of Palestinian prisoners on an extended hunger strike. Clashes between Palestinian youth and Israeli forces intensified following the death of detainee Arafat Jaradat in Israel’s Meggido prison amid allegations of torture.

DCI-Palestine has documented several cases of children getting caught up in the latest round of violence, as Israeli soldiers attempt to disperse demonstrations across the West Bank, including a 9-year-old boy allegedly used as a human shield by Israeli soldiers. Several teenagers endured physical assault during their arrest while participating in demonstrations turned clashes. In one incident, Israeli soldiers brutally beat a Palestinian youth who ended up with a broken nose and thumb in addition to contusions all over his body.

A report entitled “Bound, Blindfolded and Convicted” released by DCI-Palestine in 2012 found that, out of 311 sworn testimonies collected between 2008-2012, 75 percent of Palestinian child detainees experience ill-treatment during arrest, interrogation and pretrial detention. The majority of the cases occur within 48 hours after an arrest and prior to a child’s first appearance before a military court judge.

Lawyers and fieldworkers for DCI-Palestine collect sworn affidavits from Palestinian children detailing violations of their rights. These affidavits are taken in Arabic and further reviewed by trained staff to determine appropriate follow-up action.

Each year, hundreds of these affidavits are translated into English from which brief case summaries are produced.

Ibrahim R. (8)Injured: 20 March 2013Location: Bab as-Silseleh, Old City Jerusalem Ibrabim, 8, lives in the Old City Jerusalem next to a Jewish religious school that overlooks his home. At around 4:00 p.m., he was cleaning the rooftop of his house with his brother, Majd, 9, and his friend, Ghaith, 9, when a teenage student from the Jewish religious school started throwing glass out the second-floor school window, about two metres away. Ibrahim told him to stop, but the student threw a piece of glass at him, striking him on the upper part of his nose. Ibrahim was cut and bled all over his clothes. Ibrahim’s father called the police and they arrived with an ambulance about 10 minutes later. Ibrahim was transported to a nearby hospital, received four stitches and was discharged shortly after. Ibrahim and his father left the hospital and went to a police station near Jaffa Gat to file a complaint against the students. About an hour later, the police brought three youths to the station, but not the one who had thrown the glass at Ibrahim. Ibrahim told DCI-Palestine, “We suffer daily attacks by settlers. They throw dirt, trash and food leftovers at us.”Mo’men M. (9)Detained: 15 March 2013Location: ash-Shallaleh St. near Clock Square, HebronDetained while under the age of criminal responsibility Mo’men, 9, was detained by Israeli soldiers at around 3:00 p.m. while running toward his home and away from a demonstration that had erupted into clashes. On his way home, Mo’men ran into a group of about 10 Israeli soldiers on his street. He was grabbed by the neck and left shoulder and taken to a room near the entrance to Shuhada Street. “I was very scared of them especially when they grabbed me by my neck,” said Mo’men. “I was really scared and worried about what would happen to me.” He was brought to a room where he was detained with other older youths. He was blindfolded and his hands were tied in front of him with two plastic cords. He was transferred by military jeep to Kiryat Arba police station, where he was made to sit outside in yard until 9:30 p.m. He was not interrogated or physically assaulted, but was kept tied and blindfolded the entire time. At 9:30 p.m. he was put in military jeep and transferred back to Shuhada Street. He was turned over to the Palestinian police and reunited with his father soon after.Mustafa A. (15)Injured: 8 March 2013Location: Hebron Mustafa, 15, told DCI-Palestine that he was struck in the face by a teargas canister fired by an Israeli soldier after he got caught up in clashes in the centre of Hebron. While on his way to Hebron’s city centre to buy groceries for his aunt Mustafa got caught up in clashes between protestors and Israeli soldiers near Shuhada’ street. When Mustafa arrived at the end of the street, he saw a female Israeli soldier aim and fire a teargas canister directly at him, striking him in the face. With his mouth and lips bleeding, Mustafa ran to a nearby building where an ambulance then took him to Alia General Hospital. He received first aid and then underwent surgery to fix his jaw. Mustafa spent several nights in the hospital.Ahmad A. (17) & Moath S. (17)Detained: 3 March 2013Location: Huwara checkpoint, south of NablusIll-treatment, unlawful transfer Ahmad, 17, and Moath, 17, told DCI-Palestine that at around 1:00 p.m. they were arrested by Israeli soldiers after they joined other youths in a demonstration near Huwara checkpoint. Four Israeli soldiers chased Ahmad and Moath, catching them and punching, kicking and hitting them with the stocks of their rifles. Their hands were tied behind their backs with a single plastic cord and they were blindfolded. While being transferred to Huwara interrogation and detention centre in the back of a military jeep they were physically assaulted. Upon arrival at Huwara interrogation and detention centre, they were asked general questions about their health but not provided medical treatment. While blindfolded they heard soldiers using mobile phones to take photos of them, both alone and with soldiers next to them. While Ahmad and Moath were blindfolded and bound, soldiers punched and kicked them both prior to putting them in a military jeep and transferring them to Ari'el police station. They arrived at Ari’el police station at 7:00 p.m. At Ari’el police station they were interrogated without the presence of an attorney or family member, and they were not informed of their rights. They both provided confessions and signed statements in Arabic without being allowed to read the statement or understand the contents. They were detained at Huwara interrogation and detention centre overnight and transferred to Megiddo prison inside Israel the following day. They first appeared before a military judge on 6 March 2013.Haneen S. (9)Injured: 1 March 2013Location: Al Khadr, Bethlehem Haneen, 9, and her siblings were affected by teargas and sound grenades fired near their home as clashes erupted between protesters and Israeli soldiers nearby. At about 2:00 p.m. protesters began throwing stones at Israeli soldiers in the Al Khadr neighbourhood. Israeli soldiers fired teargas canisters and sound grenades at the protestors, with some hitting and landing in front of nearby houses, including Haneen’s. “We started choking and coughing, especially my four-year old brother Mohammad and my two-year-old sister Layan,” says Haneen. Her father called an ambulance, which arrived after several minutes and provided first aid to the children.Rebhy E. (14)Injured: 1 March 2013Location: Beit Furik, near Itamar settlement Rebhy, 14, told DCI-Palestine that he suffered a fractured leg when he was shot by a rubber-coated steel bullet fired by an Israeli soldier. At about 2:00 p.m. Rebhy headed to his uncle’s land west of Beit Furik with two other friends, which is located near Itamar settlement. About 15 minutes after arriving, they saw about 20 Israeli soldiers emerge from the olive trees just 30 metres away. Rebhy and his friends started to run back to the village, but the soldiers saw them and shouted at them to stop. Rebhy looked back and saw that his friends had been caught by the soldiers. He then saw a soldier standing on a rock pointing a rifle at him. As he turned to continue running, he was hit in the left leg by a rubber-coated steel bullet and fell to the ground and fainted. Rebhy woke to find himself lying on a stretcher carried by four soldiers. When he screamed because of the pain, they stopped to blindfold him and tie his hands behind his back with a single plastic cord. He was then forced to lie on the stretcher with his hands under his back. He taken to a clinic where a military doctor provided first aid and then at a nearby checkpoint he was transferred to a Palestinian ambulance and taken to Rifidia Hospital in Nablus. Doctors told Rebhy that he sustained two fractures when a rubber-coated steel bullet entered his left leg. He was treated and discharged the following day.Mohammad Kurdi (14)Injured: 25 February 2013Location: Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem Mohammad, 14, was shot and seriously injured during clashes with demonstrators near Aida refugee camp. At around 2:00 p.m., Mohammad, found himself in the cross hairs of Israeli soldiers dispersing dozens of stone-throwing Palestinians near the camp entrance when he was shot. Nearby youth carried him to a private car that took him to the local hospital, according to an eyewitness. Mohammad suffered injuries to his liver, right lung and right leg, according to a medical report obtained by DCI-Palestine.Hassan A. (14)Detained: 25 February 2013Location: Huwara checkpoint, south of NablusIll-treatment, statement in Hebrew, unlawful transfer Hassan, 14, told DCI-Palestine that he was arrested by Israeli soldiers during clashes between youths and soldiers near Huwara checkpoint. Soldiers chased Hassan through a field for about 30 metres before he had difficulty breathing from inhaling teargas and had to stop. A soldier knocked him down from behind and hit him with a wooden stick in the legs several times. Hassan was punched in the face and kicked in the stomach, then grabbed by the neck and brought to a military jeep 30 metres away. His hands were tied tightly behind his back with a single plastic cord causing him pain. He was blindfolded and then transferred to Ari’el police station. At Ari’el police station he was brought to interrogation room where he complained that hands hurt. They were swollen and looked blue. The interrogator cut off the plastic tie and unbound his hands. The interrogator “said he would ask me a question and would lock me away if I was not honest about it,” says Hassan. “‘Did you throw stones at soldiers?’ he asked and I said no. ‘I'll send you home if you confess. But if you don't, I'll lock you away for six months and forbid you to enter Israel,’ he said.” Hassan provided a confession and was ordered to sign a statement in Hebrew. He transferred to Huwara interrogation and detention centre; strip searched and asked general questions about his health. He was then detained overnight and transferred to Megiddo prison inside Israel. He first appeared before a military judge on 27 February 2013. On 28 February 2013, 3000 NIS bail was granted and he was released to his older brother later that day. Charges can be filed against him at any time within six months from his arrest.Baha’ I. (15)Detained: 25 February 2013Location: Burin, NablusIll-treatment, statement in Hebrew, unlawful transfer Baha, 15, told DCI-Palestine that he was arrested by Israeli soldiers as he was on his way home from school. He tried to run away with other children but was caught by three Israeli soldiers. He was slapped and kicked and hit with the stock of a rifle. His arms were twisted behind his back and his hands were tied with a single plastic cord. He was blindfolded and shoved into a military jeep that took him to a nearby military camp. He was made to sit outside on the ground until 3:00 a.m. in cold temperatures. At around 3:00 a.m. soldiers transferred him to Ari’el police station where he was brought to an interrogation room. The interrogator shouted at him and pounded his fists on the table, and told him to confess to throwing stones. Baha did not provide a confession. After about 30 minutes, the interrogator made him sign papers written in Hebrew. “I asked him to explain what was written but he refused and shouted and made me sign the papers,” says Baha. He was then transferred to Huwara interrogation and detention centre where he was strip searched and asked general questions about his health. At 3:00 p.m. he was transferred to Megiddo prison inside Israel and was strip searched upon arrival. He first appeared before a military judge on 27 February 2013.Shaker M. (17)Detained: 23 February 2013Use of excessive force, ill treatment, coerced confession, unlawful transfer Shaker, 17, was detained by Israeli soldiers after clashes began between stone-throwing Palestinian youth and Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. Protestors fled as a military jeep rushed toward them. Shaker attempted to run away but fell to the ground. The military jeep stopped nearby and two soldiers got out and began to beat him severely while he was still on the ground. He was hit with the stocks of their rifles and punched and kicked all over his body, including his head. He tried to put his hands up to protect himself, but suffered a broken right thumb. He was punched in the face and suffered a broken nose, swelling and a lump around his left eye as well as bruising all over his body. Shaker fainted and later woke up on the ground and his hands were tied behind his back with a single plastic cord. He fainted again and woke up on the metal floor of a military jeep and was verbally and physically assaulted. Soldiers discarded his blood-soaked clothes before arriving at Huwara interrogation and detention centre. After several hours delay, Shaker was taken to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem where he received medical treatment. His hands remained tied for the majority of the exam and treatment, against the doctor's recommendation. He was transferred back to Huwara centre where he suffered additional physical assault and was denied painkillers that were prescribed to him. At one point he was forced to sit on the ground outside and was suddenly attacked by two dogs controlled by Israeli soldiers. “I tried to push them away but they bit my arms,” said Shaker. “I tried to push them away several times, but they did not go away. The soldiers were laughing loudly.” During interrogation, the interrogator threatened to beat him worse if he did not confess. Shaker confessed and signed papers in Hebrew without knowing their contents. He was detained overnight with adults before being transferred the next morning to Megiddo prison inside Israel. He first appeared before a military judge on 27 February 2013.Mustafa Wahdan (9)Detained: 17 February 2013Human shield Israeli soldiers forced Mustafa, 9, at gunpoint to walk among them while they confronted Palestinian demonstrators near Ofer prison outside Ramallah. Around midday, Mustafa told DCI-Palestine that he was on his way home from his older brother’s car wash service, approximately 300 meters (1000 feet) from Ofer checkpoint, when clashes intensified, forcing him to take shelter in a nearby store. Israeli soldiers saw him enter the shop and rushed after him. They detained Mustafa, ordering him to raise his hands behind his head, and allegedly used him as a human shield for several hours while they fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets at stone-throwing protesters. “Whenever they wanted to fire teargas or shoot bullets at the protesters, they would take me with them,” said Mustafa. “I was really scared that a stone might hit me.” Mustafa said that one of the soldiers kept his rifle pointed at his back throughout the experience. He was finally let go when his father arrived at the scene and pleaded with the soldiers for his son’s release.Islam S. (9)Injured: 13 February 2013Location: Zatara checkpoint south of Nablus Islam, 9, and her mother were attacked by several female settlers near Zatara checkpoint while they waited for a car to take them to a nearby village. Just after 3:00 p.m., Islam and her mother were standing on the sidewalk at Salfit junction. Suddenly, about six female settlers rushed towards them. Islam and her mother tried to flee but the settlers chased them, pushing and knocking Islam’s mother to the ground. As the settlers kicked her mother, Islam screamed and tried to push them away. Two more settlers soon arrived and shoved Islam against a fence. Then one of them grabbed her by the neck and choked her while the other slapped her in the face. She was then shoved to the ground. “I was shaking because I was very scared and worried about my mother,” said Islam. “I burst into tears.” The settlers ran off as a Palestinian man approached to help. Israeli soldiers in military jeeps arrived shortly after and ushered the settlers back to Tappuah settlement.Ahmad M. (14)Detained: 12 February 2013Location: ‘Azzun, QalqiliyaIll treatment, unlawful transfer Ahmad, 14, told DCI-Palestine that Israeli soldiers arrested him at 2:30 a.m. from his family home in 'Azzun, Qalqiliya. Ahmad woke to shouting in Hebrew and found Israeli soldiers in his living room. The soldiers searched the home and then arrested Ahmad. He was blindfolded and his hands were tied behind his back with a single plastic cord. He was taken to a military jeep where he was forced to sit on floor and he was kicked multiple times during transfer. He arrived at Ari’el police station around 8:00 a.m. where he was interrogated. His hands remained tied and he was threatened and slapped across the faces several times. Ahmad signed a statement in Arabic, but was not allowed to read it. At about 5:00 p.m. he was transferred to Huwarra interrogation and detention centre where he was strip searched and detained until he was transferred to Megiddo prison inside Israel around 1:00 a.m. He first appeared before a military court judge on 13 February at Salem Military Court. His next military court appearance is scheduled for 21 March 2013.Mahmoud O. (12)Detained: 12 February 2013Location: ‘Azzun, QalqiliyaIll treatment Mahmoud, 12, told DCI-Palestine that Israeli soldiers arrested him at about 2:15 a.m. from his home in the West Bank town of ‘Azzun, Qalqiliya, which is located near the Israeli settlement Ma’ale Shomeron. Mahmoud awoke because an Israeli soldier had picked him up and was carrying him. The soldiers blindfolded Mahmoud and tied his hands behind his back with a single plastic cord. He was slapped across face and then dragged about 15 metres to a military jeep where he was forced to sit on the metal floor. Once inside he was kicked and slapped and subjected to verbal abuse. Upon arriving at Ari’el police station at about 9:00 a.m., Mahmoud was accused of throwing stones, asked to write his name on papers in Hebrew, and slapped during interrogation. After denying that he had thrown stones, he was taken out of the interrogation room. He was brought back to the room shortly after and the interrogator produced a statement from another child that was also arrested the same night. The statement said that Mahmoud had thrown stones, but Mahmoud continued to deny the accusations. Mahmoud was fingerprinted and his photo was taken before being taken that afternoon to Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus. His father soon arrived at the checkpoint and Mahmoud was released to him. Mahmoud described feeling scared and traumatized during his arrest, transfer and period of detention. After paying 1,000 NIS, Mahmoud was released on bail and charges could be filed against him at any time within six months from his arrest.Saleh R. (14)Detained: 12 February 2013Location: ‘Azzun, QalqiliyaIll treatment, coerced confession, unlawful transfer Saleh, 14, told DCI-Palestine that he was arrested by Israeli soldiers at 2:00 a.m. from his home in 'Azzun, Qalqiliya, and accused of throwing stones. Saleh was woken up by his mother who told him that Israeli soldiers were in the living room. He was forced to sit in a chair in the living room while soldiers searched the home. While he was in the chair, soldiers took photos of him with their personal mobile phones. The soldiers then tied his hands behind his back with a single plastic cord, blindfolded him and transferred him to multiple locations, finally arriving at Ari'el police station around 8:00 a.m. During interrogation at Ari’el police station, Saleh’s hands remained tied and he was not informed of his rights. He was accused of throwing stones and threatened and physically abused during interrogation. Saleh reported that the interrogator stated, "I'll smash your head if you don't confess." Saleh was repeatedly struck on the head until he confessed. He signed a statement in Arabic without knowing the contents of the document. At 1:00 a.m. he arrived at Megiddo prison inside Israel where he was strip searched and detained in the juvenile section with other children from ‘Azzun. He first appeared before military court judge on 13 February in Salem Military Court. His next military court appearance is scheduled for 21 March 2013.Majd H. (16), Hendi S. (16) Detained: 9 February 2013Ill treatment, coerced confession, unlawful transfer Majd, 16, told DCI-Palestine that Israeli soldiers arrested him during an early-morning raid at his home in the northern West Bank town of Haris, near Salfit. The soldiers tied Majd’s hands tightly behind his back, blindfolded him, and dragged him to the main street. Majd said the soldiers transferred him and another teen he identified as Hendi, 16, multiple times, including to the police station in Ariel settlement for interrogation. Soldiers beat Majd and Hendi when they complained the plastic ties were too tight, while on their way to Huwara detention facility. Upon arriving, they were strip searched, and then ordered to clean the bathrooms and yard. Soldiers from the Nahshon unit transferred Majd and Hendi to Megiddo prison inside Israel on February 11, where they were strip searched again, and then detained together in one of the cells of the juvenile section. Majd told DCI-Palestine that soldiers took Hendi and him for another interrogation at Ariel police station. One of the interrogators hit Majd’s face with a stick. Another violently shook him until he was dizzy. Hurt, scared and tired, Majd confessed to throwing stones after two hours of interrogation. The interrogators told Majd to also implicate Hendi. “I did it against my will,” said Majd. “I told them we did things we did not do at all.”Hakim E. (15)Injured: 2 February 2013Location: Kafr Qaddum, Qalqiliya Hakim, 15, told DCI-Palestine that he was struck in the stomach by a teargas canister fired by an Israeli soldier during a weekly protest in Kafr Qaddum. Around 3:00 p.m. Hakim joined around 150 protesters and marched toward the village main street, which has been closed by Israeli forces. Israeli soldiers were located at different points in and around the village. Shortly after beginning to march, Israeli soldiers first teargas canisters at the protestors. While Hakim was choking from the gas, he saw a soldier kneeling with his rifle pointed directly at him. The soldier fired a teargas canister at Hakim, striking him on the left side of his stomach and knocking him down. The teargas canister fell next to him. “It was a silver cylinder, about 10 centimetres long, with white smoke coming out of it and filling the air,” said Hakim. “I inhaled the smoke and felt so dizzy. It was difficult to breath and I had severe pain near my stomach. I even vomited.” Hakim was taken to nearby paramedics who provided first aid.Anonymous (16)Injured: 2 February 2013Location: Burin, Nablus On 2 February, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg by an Israeli settler during clashes near Yizhar settlement, south of Nablus. At around 10:00 a.m. the boy joined other villagers, journalists and international activists in the village square and then marched to a nearby tent village that was erected to protest the occupation. Shortly after arriving at the tent village, about 70 Israeli soldiers began to dismantle the tents and remove protesters from the area. Israeli settlers joined the soldiers and threw stones as soldiers fired teargas and rubber-coated metal bullets at the protesters. The boy fled with others to the southern part of town shortly after the clashes began because about 20 settlers were throwing stones at a neighbour’s house and uprooting olive trees. The group confronted the settlers and stone-throwing between the groups ensued. After about 10 minutes, a settler pulled a pistol from behind his back and shot the boy in his leg. He was carried to a nearby school and then taken by ambulance to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. The bullet exited the other side of his leg and did not strike any bones so he received stitches and was sent home two hours later.Ahmad N. (15), Ibrahim N. (16)Injured: 1 February 2013Location: Israeli-Gaza border east of Beit Hanoun, North Gaza Ibrahim, 16, and Ahmad, 15, were both shot in the leg by live ammunition fired by Israeli soldiers near the border fence. At around 3:00 p.m., Ibrahim met his friend Hasan, 17, and went to Abu Safiya hill, located east of Beit Hanoun, to hunt birds. When they arrived about 30 minutes later, about 50 other youths were already there. Some were throwing stones at two soldiers near a metal gate in the fence. About ten military jeeps were parked on the other side of the border fence about 50 metres away. Ibrahim, Hasan and Ahmad were far away from the border fence when soldiers began firing teargas canisters at the stone-throwing youths. Ibrahim and the others felt exposed so they started running towards the hill. As they were running, Ibrahim heard two gunshots fired almost simultaneously. “I felt something hit my right leg and it knocked me down,” says Ibrahim. “I heard Ahmad screaming and asking for help. He was less than half a metre behind me. I looked at him and saw a hole in his right shin. I saw white bone and his shin was bleeding profusely.” They both called for help but nobody wanted to expose themselves to gunfire in order to reach them. After about 15 minutes, the Israeli soldiers drove away from the border fence. Some of the youths rushed to Ahmad and brought him to where Ibrahim was waiting for an ambulance. “He was unconscious, with his clothes and legs covered in blood,” says Ibrahim. “The bleeding had almost stopped. He was bleeding for 15 minutes and I thought that he had run out of blood.” They were taken to Shifa Hospital and received immediate medical treatment. Ahmad was in critical condition because he lost a lot of blood and was later transferred to Israel for medical treatment.Mo'tasem H. (17)Detained: 29 January 2013Ill treatment, coerced confession, unlawful transfer Mo’tasem, 17, was arrested by Israeli soldiers from his home around 2:30 a.m. He was accused of throwing stones. He awoke to the sound of Israeli soldiers near his home, and shortly after, soldiers stormed his house. Mo'tasem was detained in the living room, away from his family, blindfolded and his hands were tied behind his back with a single plastic cord. He was transported to Huwarra interrogation and detention centre where he was physically assaulted. He was detained with adults in a small cell until the following day, and was not provided with food or water. The next afternoon he was transferred to Salem interrogation and detention centre where he was interrogated by an Arabic-speaking Israeli. His hands and feet remained tied and he was not informed of his rights. The interrogator told Mo’tasem that his friends, who had been arrested earlier, had said in their statements that Mo’tasem had thrown stones. The interrogator then read their statements to Mo’tasem, and he provided a confession. "I had no choice but to confess," said Mo'tasem. He was given a statement in Arabic to sign, but he did not have an opportunity to read the document and it was not explained to him. Later that day, he was transferred to Megiddo prison inside Israel, where he was strip searched on arrival.Anas T. (13), Huthaifa T. (10), Othman T. (14)Detained: 27 January 2013Location: 'Izat At Tabib, Qalqiliya Anas, 13, and Huthaifa, 10, were in front of their home fixing a bicycle when they were grabbed and detained by Israeli soldiers at around 7:00 p.m. Anas was surprised to see six armed Israeli soldiers approaching his house. Without saying a word, a soldier grabbed Anas on the shoulder and dragged him away. Another soldier grabbed Huthaifa and did the same. The soldiers insulted their mother and sisters, and hit both Anas and Huthaifa in the face. The soldiers, while dragging them, head butted the boys with their metal helmets. The boys were forced to stand near about seven military jeeps. They were separated when they tried to talk to each other. After about an hour, soldiers dragged another child toward where the military jeeps were parked. “It was my cousin, Othman,” says Anas. “They made him stand next to me. His mouth was bleeding. He was terrified. I asked him about the blood and he said soldiers beat him.” Anas’ parents arrived shortly after. They tried to approach him and his brother but the soldiers kept them away. One of the soldiers approached him and asked if he had thrown stones, but Anas said that he had not. After the soldier claimed that he had a photo of Anas throwing stones, Anas demanded that he show him the photo. According to Anas, the soldier then said, "Listen, I want to help you but you need to say you threw stones or I'll come to your house in the middle of the night and take you away." Anas and Huthaifa were released soon after. However, Othman had his hands tied, was blindfolded, and driven around in a military jeep before being dropped off at the Qalqiliya district coordination office.Mohammad S. (16)Injured: 25 January 2013 Mohammad, 16, was injured when a bullet fired by an Israeli soldier grazed his left cheek, as he stood with a group of Palestinian men and children near the Israeli border at Jabalia, north of Gaza City While visiting his grandmother’s grave at Ash-Shuja’iyeh cemetery, 500 meters (547 yards) east of the Israeli border, with his three cousins, Mohammad heard gunshots and they all decided to investigate the source. They saw roughly 40 youths shouting at Israeli soldiers on the other side of the border. Two of the soldiers were lying on the ground with their rifles pointed at the young Palestinians. Mohammad and his cousins joined the group about 30 meters (98 feet) from the border. “I heard a gunshot and something buzzed by my left ear,” Mohammad told DCI-Palestine. “Then sporadic shooting erupted. I felt my left cheek with my hand and found that I was bleeding.” Two men on a motorcycle rushed Mohammad back to an ambulance, which transferred him to Kamal Odwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, north of Jabalia. “Doctors told me I was injured when the bullet grazed my face,” said Mohammad, “and that I would probably be dead if it hit me directly in the face.”Abdullah E. (12)Detained: 25 January 2013Location: Kafr Qaddum, Qalqiliya Abdullah, 12, told DCI-Palestine that he was beat and kicked while he was detained briefly in his village by Israeli soldiers. At about 12:00 p.m., Israeli soldiers stormed Abdullah’s home looking for his 21-year-old brother. After they had arrested his brother, Abdullah was grabbed by the shoulder and dragged away from his family by another Israeli soldier. While still in his home, he was hit with a rifle and fell to the floor. With his mother and siblings screaming, he was kicked in the back, stomach and legs. The soldiers shouted at his family, ordering them to be quiet. “I was crying and screaming because I was so scared of him and I was hurting,” said Abdullah. Soldiers dragged Abdullah across the floor and out of the house. He was forced to walk about 200 metres toward the main road. He was surrounded by soldiers who slapped and kicked him from behind as they walked. When they reached military jeeps parked on the street, he was knocked down and told to face the ground. His father arrived shortly after and Abdullah was released.Sameer Ahmad Mohammad AwadKilled: 15 January 2013 An Israeli soldier shot and killed Sameer, 16, at the separation barrier in the West Bank town of Budrus, near Ramallah. After completing an exam on the last day of finals, Sameer joined several classmates at the separation barrier, his 18-year-old best friend, who joined them there, told DCI-Palestine. Sameer was shaking the fence, said friend, when we heard gunshots and began to run after spotting Israeli soldiers approaching us. Then Sameer began limping. “I asked him what's wrong and he said his left leg was hurting,” said the friend. “I grabbed his leg and found it bleeding. I realized that he had been shot.” The soldiers continued to give chase and threw a sound grenade at them, which exploded near Sameer, disorienting him. “Then, within seconds, a short soldier shot at him several times,” said the friend. “I saw him while I was hiding behind a rock.” The other soldiers caught up and surrounded Sameer and one of them began attempting to resuscitate him. The soldier who killed Sameer was relieved of his weapon, and driven away in a military jeep. Budrus residents took Sameer to a nearby hospital, where he died shortly after from the bullet wounds he sustained to his head, chest and leg. “I knew he was already dead and I will not see him again,” said his friend. “They could have caught him easily. I mean his leg was injured and he could not walk … I just do not know why they shot him.”Salah S. (15)Detained: 14 January 2013Ill treatment, coerced confession, unlawful transfer While looking for sage in a small forest near his village, Salah, 15, encountered four Israeli soldiers. He was physically and verbally abused; his hands were tied behind his back with a single plastic cord, blindfolded and arrested without any explanation. He was brought to a military jeep and forced to sit on metal floor. During transfer to Ari'el police station he was insulted and physically and verbally abused. Upon arrival at Ari'el police station around 7:00 p.m., he was interrogated without the presence of a lawyer and was not informed of his rights. Salah's hands remained tied during interrogation and he was physically assaulted in the interrogation room. He confessed to throwing stones and signed a statement in Arabic, but was not allowed to read it and the document was not explained to him. He was then blindfolded and transferred to Huwarra interrogation and detention centre where a doctor asked him general questions about his health, he was strip searched and detained until the following day. At 12:00 p.m. the next day, he was transferred to Megiddo prison inside Israel. Salah appeared before a military judge for the first time on 17 January 2013, nearly three days after his arrest. His detention was extended until the end of legal proceedings. His next military court appearance is scheduled for 11 March 2013.Imran H. (17), Raed O. (16) Injured: 1 January 2013 Imran, 17, was hit in the forehead by a teargas canister and Raed, 16, was struck in the leg by a rubber bullet during clashes between Palestinian youth and Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, near Nablus. Around a dozen settlers in plainclothes from the nearby Esh Kodesh and Magdolim settlements attacked the southern end of the village and began uprooting olive trees, while Israeli soldiers stood by, according to Imran and Raed. They threw stones at the young Palestinians congregating nearby, sparking a confrontation that lasted about two hours. “Israeli soldiers started firing live ammunition and rubber bullets at us,” said Raed, “as well as teargas canisters and sound grenades.” Imran told DCI-Palestine that he passed out when he was hit in the forehead and hand by a teargas canister. He regained consciousness at a doctor’s private residence while being treated. He was then transferred to Rafidia Hospital, where he received multiple stitches before being discharged later that day. Raed estimates he was standing 70 meters (230 feet) away from the soldiers when he spotted three of them squatting and pointing their rifles at him and the other Palestinian men. He told DCI-Palestine that he heard gunshots and then saw his leg bleeding profusely. Paramedics on the scene administered first aid before sending him to Rafidia Hospital for treatment.